It's a boy!!

A few months ago, God allowed Nathan and I the privilege to house a young lady in training at a local hotel. Just after her training started, she found out she was pregnant. Since she is single, the social worker requested that we follow up on her pregnancy through Options, and due to the relationship already established with us, I became her "birthing partner".

Last month she moved back to live with her boyfriend about 1/2 hr drive from town. She called early Monday morning to say that she was going to the hospital via ambulance (no car, or funds for taxi). Only dilated to 1cm when I visited her, I continued to check up on her over the next 2 days. Only on Wednesday did her labor intensify. God's perfect timing provided for my schedule to already be free on an afternoon when I regularly teach the children at Hlalane, I left Nathan (and Barnabas) at the hostel with the high school students to arrive at the hospital at 2pm.

Sharing a room with 5 other women, all in various stages of labor, I was the only one helping Yandiswe... the others had no support! For the next 90 minutes I rubbed her back as the contractions strengthened, and when her water finally broke we were taken down to the delivery room. Having given birth to 3 children (all natural deliveries) I can not imagine going through any labor without someone to talk me through and comfort me... at 3:40 I assisted the sister (nurse) as Lelamiphongo entered his head into the world. His name means "my proud" in Xhosa!